2/7/07

Word Web Vocabulary versus online vocabulary programs

One question I am frequently asked is how I think Word Web Vocabulary's approach compares to online vocabulary programs. The latter sometimes costs less than Word Web, and better yet, students can work at their own pace on a computer and get immediate feedback.

At first glance online programs seem to have it all. Students can correct their own work, practice more if the program directs them to, and then move on to the next lesson at their own pace. Surely this is the way to learn rather than in a bricks and mortar classroom! Or is it?

A while back, I decided to see if Word Web would work as an online program. I spent hours designing the layout and creating the links that would take students backwards and forward through the lessons. I hired a company to give me a print-out of a lesson. Immediately I saw what was wrong with this idea. Students wouldn't be privy to classroom discussions. They wouldn't hear others' answers to Think Links. They couldn't debate those answers or report what they'd learned when they delved deeper or compared their super sentences with others in the class. Therefore, I abandoned the idea of making Word Web compatible with computer learning

Remember those lists of unrelated words you brought home on Monday for a test on Friday? Certainly, they were useful words to learn so that you could increase your reading comprehension. You probably learned the words well enough to pass Friday's test - but for how long? Sure, you really did learn some of them, but I think Word Web's organization guarantees true learning - the kind that lasts.

The design of most online programs helps students understand words in context, while others combine spelling and vocabulary in the same lessons. Of course, both skills are important, but these types of programs have a different intent than Word Web. I compare them to the various Word-a-Day programs. You can opt to have a new word pop up every day on your cell phone, or appear on your desktop, or, at the first of each year, you can buy a paper stack of 365, one for each day. As you look at these, your brain may think, "Oh, I didn't know that!" Or, "That's a useful word." And so on. At the end of the week, how many of those words will you remember? If you're at all like me, the answer will be, "Probably none."

That's why I know Word Web's classroom format runs circles around online programs. It almost guarantees that students' comprehension and rate of retention will be high. When our students see a web family of related words based on common Greek and Latin root words, they are already ahead of the learning curve. A visual connection is important to every type of learner. Once they have studied the web and seen which are the most frequently used, versus those that are more difficult, they have a visual aid that improves retention of the words.

When teachers cover all the words on a web, regardless of their level of difficulty, during the week, students' understanding and ability to remember is certainly heightened far more than with any other method of remembering words. Also, unlike any other vocabulary curriculum, students who use Word Web Vocabulary have a tool they can use to decode words they have never seen before. And, that comes in very handy when taking standardized tests.

If you have questions or would like more reasons why I think Word Web is the best way to learn vocabulary, contact me elinormiller@seepub.com. I'll even explain what I mean when I say that the main difference between Word Web Vocabulary and all other programs is that students become immersed, not just exposed to, word study.

That's my word this time.

Ellie

Word Web Vocabulary - recommended on Heidi Hayes-Jacobs' website - Moving vocabulary from the edge of language arts to its center